"They are not Fidel Castro. Much more Machiavelli." Seven months in the works, our Reuters investigation into how Syria's new rulers are secretly remaking the Assad-era economy via takeovers and deals with tycoons. W/ the brilliant Feras Dalatey reuters.com/investigations…

I sat down with Emily Thornberry to discuss Foreign Affairs Committee report on the Israel-Palestine conflict which is out today She told me Keir Starmer should urge Trump to 'quietly walk away' from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation when they meet in Scotland: middleeasteye.net/news/uk-starme…

EXCL: MPs are planning to publish a mass cross-party letter this afternoon demanding Keir Starmer recognize a Palestinian state. It is led by Development Committee Chair Sarah Champion and should be more extensive than a letter by 59 Labour MPs two weeks ago. More in Playbook

Exclusive: USAID analysis found no evidence of massive Hamas theft of Gaza aid | Reuters reuters.com/world/middle-e…

Excl: Asked about UK recognition of a Palestinian state this week, sources tell MEE that David Lammy told civil servants he had 'a feeling that in the autumn, this debate will settle in a particular place' Suggests UK timetable may be aligning w/France: middleeasteye.net/news/lammy-sug…

Israel was running low THAAD interceptors as Iranian ballistic missiles slammed into Israeli cities in June. The US asked Saudi Arabia to turn over interceptors to help the US ally in need. Riyadh's response was "no." middleeasteye.net/news/us-asked-…

Following the Foreign Secretary's commitment at International Development Committee last week to do more to support medical evacuations of children from Gaza ( fb.watch/B4HlLGzIcQ/), I have joined colleagues from 3 parties writing to ask government to remove barriers to expansion of Project Pure Hope

UPDATE: Keir Starmer announced late Friday the UK will take a group of children from Gaza for medical treatment Project Pure Hope, the group which pushed for this, calls on the UK to ‘urgently operationalise’ its plan & bring 30 ‘Every day of delay’ risks lives, they say

Before you dip into the Eastern Mediterranean this #summer #Wpreorder my book w/ Hurst Publishers 'The New Byzantines: The Rise of #Greece and Return of the Near East'Waterstones

My first book 'The Indian Caliphate: Exiled Ottomans and the Billionaire Prince' is 25% off with Waterstones if you pre-order between now and Thursday (link below)! It uncovers the story of the exiled last Ottoman Caliph's scheme to revive the Caliphate in India:

At a captagon factory in Sudan, Daniel Hilton + Mohammed Alamin found equipment which experts like Caroline Rose says is very similar to what's been found in Syrian labs recently Near the equipment, they also found a shipping crate from a UAE company: middleeasteye.net/news/inside-dr…

A 70-year-old friend of mine, the father of a dear friend, calls me from time to time to check on me or invite me over, where his wife would prepare delicious dishes. Before the genocide, I used to visit them regularly. But our bond deepened even more when we were displaced

NEW - UK urged to move fast now that PM has signed off on receiving wounded children directly from Gaza Citing Kindertransport + NHS treatment for Ukrainians & Malala, over 30 cross-party MPs, led by Sam Rushworth MP, call for government to step up: middleeasteye.net/news/uk-urged-…

.Medical Aid for Palestinians says that Baby Zainab, on the right, has now died. Her mother "couldn’t find the medical care Zainab needed here in Gaza, nor was she allowed medical evacuation, as her mother was hoping for. More children will die, one by one, as this madness continues”.

UK urged to move fast after PM signs off on receiving wounded #Gaza children. Well done to Sam Rushworth MP for all your work to make this happen 🙏🏻 middleeasteye.net/news/uk-urged-…

🚨Over 70 women from Umm Al-Khair are on hunger strike! They demand the release of Awdah Hathaleen’s body, murdered by a known settler terrorist, now held hostage by Israel as a tool of humiliation. His family is jailed. His mother is starving just to say goodbye to her son !

Grateful to Middle East Eye for today's article providing detailed coverage of the law relating to starvation crimes in Gaza: middleeasteye.net/explainers/isr… My comments in the piece are from a longer interview (from a few weeks ago) that is available here: youtube.com/watch?v=4tdhUU…